1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.
2. Related Art
Ink jet printers that form images configured by groups of ink dots on a print medium by moving a print head that has a plurality of nozzles along a main scanning direction while discharging ink from each nozzle by driving an actuator provided to correspond to each nozzle of the print head are in widespread use.
In ink jet printers, the components for an ink discharge operation such as the nozzle actuator are driven in a period in which the ink discharge operation (image formation operation) from nozzles is executed, and the components and a drive circuit generate heat. Therefore, in a case in which printing is performed at a relatively high resolution on a relatively large print medium (for example, a case in which printing is performed at a resolution of 300 dpi or more on an A3 or larger print medium), there are cases in which excessive loads are applied to the components for the ink discharge operation and the component life is shortened and those in which the amount of heat per unit time is excessive and deteriorations in image quality, which accompany damage to the components and the destabilization of discharge, occur. Conventionally, a technology which detects the temperature of the print head, and stops a print operation in a case in which it seems likely that the temperature of the print head will exceed an upper temperature limit at which correct operation is guaranteed, is known (for example, refer to JP A-2003-341054).
In the abovementioned technology of the related art, although it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a state in which the temperature of the print head exceeds an upper temperature limit, depending on the print resolution and the size of the print medium, there are case in which the print operation is stopped before the formation of images on the print medium is completed, and there is a problem in which the convenience for a user is decreased.
Additionally, this kind of problem is not limited to printing using an ink jet method, but is a problem that is common to printing which forms images on a print medium while moving a print head along a predetermined main scanning direction.